HOUSING AS A HUMAN RIGHT

Megan believes that all people deserve access to safe, affordable housing regardless of zipcode. The City of St. Louis is rapidly building new housing, yet over 80% of new housing is considered luxury, making affordable housing out of reach for more and more people in the City of St. Louis. The lack of affordable housing has become a great concern in the 15th Ward as well. The lack of new affordable housing has been compounded by the Missouri Low Income Housing Tax Credit program being put on pause. At the same time, the City of St. Louis has over 100,000 renters, and Missouri has some of the most lax renter protections in the United States, making it difficult for renters to hold landlords accountable for not fixing their properties. 

Now that the Missouri Low Income Housing Tax Credit program is operational again, Megan looks forward to implementing proposals for affordable and low-income senior housing in the 15th Ward. With the closure of Fanning Middle School by St. Louis Public School District in the fall of 2021, Megan is also committed to working with St. Louis Public Schools and our community to determine the best use for the building.

As someone who rented for nearly 10 years before she was able to afford to buy a home, Megan understands intimately the challenges faced by renters who have negligent landlords. As such, Megan supports Implementing a Tenant’s Bill of Rights that prohibits landlords from refusing a tenant solely on the basis of past evictions, race, gender identity, and other non-discrimination rules, and provides greater protections for renters who are living in unsafe conditions. 

Megan also believes that we must reign in tax incentive abuse at the Board of Aldermen. She supports the creation of a city-wide plan for development that specifically details what areas of our city are eligible for what type of tax incentives. 

Last, as a lifelong advocate for our unhoused community, Megan supports Homeless Bill of Rights legislation to ensure that homeless individuals are not criminalized for lack of housing and that they have access to quality services, as well as increased funding to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which funds homeless services.